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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23832676">Orbit</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZombieJesus/pseuds/ZombieJesus'>ZombieJesus</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>ZJ Lawlight Week 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Death Note &amp; Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff and Humor, Lawlight Week 2020, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Now with a Russian translation, One Shot, celestial pining, first friends, lawlight, under a cherry tree, with snark and banter and parries</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:36:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,702</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23832676</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZombieJesus/pseuds/ZombieJesus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Light’s having lunch under the cherry trees with his friends at To-Oh, but L unexpectedly shows up and runs everyone else off but Light. A missing scene, a private conversation with L's 'first friend' and rival under the spring sakura.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>L/Yagami Light</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>ZJ Lawlight Week 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1718641</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>127</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Lawlight Week 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Orbit</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This work was translated into Russian, <a href="https://ficbook.net/readfic/10577574">here!</a></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Light was sitting under a cherry tree with his friends at To-Oh, just about to open his bento lunch, when he spied a familiar spiky-haired form slouching across the plaza. <em>Oh no, it’s L. </em>Light kept his head down, hoping he wouldn’t catch the detective’s notice in the crowd.</p><p> </p><p>“Yagami-kun!” The yell from across the grassy space said he’d have no such luck. “Yagami-kun!”</p><p> </p><p>Light dared to glance up, wincing at how 'Hideki Ryuga' was waving at him and making a scene. He gave L a half-smile out of politeness as the man started to head towards them, which was all he could muster. He’d been looking forward to enjoying his lunch in peace given he knew L had no classes today.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you know that person?” Kiyomi cocked a curious eyebrow at Light, lacquered chopsticks hovering just in front of her equally lacquered red lips.</p><p> </p><p>“Um….yes. That’s Ryuga-san. We met on the first day of school and he’s in some of my classes,” Light sighed. It was a lot more complicated than that, but he had no intention of explaining.</p><p> </p><p>Another classmate, Daisuke, added, “Don’t you remember? Ryuga-san tied Light in the entrance exam and they both delivered the welcoming speech.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh!” Realization dawned on Kiyomi’s face. She’d felt miffed that day because she hadn’t been the one to tie for first place. She scrutinized the newcomer,  giggling quietly and whispering, “So where are his shoes?”</p><p> </p><p>Daisuke chuckled but shushed her. “Shhh! He’s coming over here.”</p><p> </p><p>Light turned back to his bento just to have something to do, something else to focus on other than L's piercing gaze.</p><p> </p><p>“Yagami-kun.” L stuck his hands in his jeans pockets, scratching his ankle with a dusty bare foot. “Are you having lunch?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hello Ryuga-san.” Light lifted his eyes up to meet wide dark ones, keeping his expression neutral. “Yes, we were just about to. But I’m surprised to see you on campus today.” He leaned back against the trunk of the cherry tree, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Seeing as you have no classes.” They both knew why <em>L </em>had come to To-Oh in the first place, and it wasn’t for an education.</p><p> </p><p>“Yagami-kun is correct.” L gave him a wry smile in return. “I came….” He looked up at the blooming tree as if it was the first time he’d noticed them. “…to enjoy the sakura blossoms. They’re very pretty.” He sat down next to Light without waiting for an invitation, moving into an awkward crouch on the grass. “I think I’ll have some lunch as well.”</p><p> </p><p>Kiyomi huffed, “Well, feel free to join us if you like.” The note of sarcasm was subtle but detectable.</p><p> </p><p>L stared at her blankly. “I believe I just did.” He pulled out a half-melted candy bar from his pocket and started to unwrap it.</p><p> </p><p>Light cleared his throat to keep from laughing and shoveled a bit of rice into his mouth. Of course L would bring sweets for lunch, but the way the man was licking the chocolate from his fingers was more than slightly distracting. <em>Stop that– don’t forget he wants to see you executed.</em></p><p> </p><p>Daisuke was openly staring at Ryuga's odd posture and ‘lunch,’ but stopped when Light shot him a look. “So uh, Ryuga-san…I saw your tennis match last week. That was really great! You should join the tennis team!”</p><p> </p><p>“Is Yagami-kun on the team?” L mumbled it around chocolatey fingers, not bothering to look up.</p><p> </p><p>“No?” Daisuke didn’t see what that had to do with anything.</p><p> </p><p>“Then I will not be joining.” L broke off some of the candy and blithely popped it into his mouth. He smiled to see Light’s cheeks were tinged pink– both Kiyomi and Daisuke were staring now, and not just at him.</p><p> </p><p><em>Damn it. Doesn’t he even care how that sounds?</em> Light could feel himself blushing but he merely shrugged. “Perhaps you should join the team, Ryuga-san. They need all the help they can get lately.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!” Daisuke protested, “We’ve only lost two games so far!”</p><p> </p><p>L tilted his head, a finger pressed to his bottom lip. “Haven’t you only <em>played</em> two games so far?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well…technically, yeah.” Daisuke sulked and went back to eating his lunch in awkward silence.</p><p> </p><p>L seemed oblivious to how uncomfortable everyone was. He pulled another candy bar from his other pocket, nibbling between it and the first one as he stared owlishly at Light. “Is Yagami-kun in any other clubs or sports? What does he do when he’s not studying? When he’s all alone?”</p><p> </p><p>Light bristled at the brazen question, and even more at how it was worded. “Ryuga–”</p><p> </p><p>“Excuse me.” Kiyomi set her lunch aside and crossed her arms. “What <em>exactly</em> is your interest in Light?”</p><p> </p><p>“We’re friends.” Some crumbs fell from L’s mouth into the grass, eliciting a look of disgust from Kiyomi. “Isn’t it normal to show an interest in one’s friends?” The way his lips quirked up slightly betrayed his amusement. </p><p> </p><p>Daisuke gave Light an incredulous look. “There’s such a thing as <em>too</em> much interest, y’know.”</p><p> </p><p>“Is there? Hmmm. I disagree.” L shoved the last bits of candy bar into his mouth, wiping a smear of chocolate halfway across his face with the back of his hand. “If Light-kun does not like my questions then he can tell me.” The switch from <em>Yagami-kun </em>to <em>Light-kun</em> was effortless. </p><p> </p><p>“Hmph. I’m not going to sit here in such <em>rude</em> company.” Kiyomi angrily packed her things back into her bag and nudged Daisuke with her foot when she stood up. “Light, is this guy really your friend? Isn’t he bothering you? Come on, let’s go.”</p><p> </p><p>They all looked at Light, who paused before answering thoughtfully, “It doesn’t bother me one bit, Kiyomi.” He dug into his bento again, lifting his eyes to hers and saying, “I’m fine right here,” before taking a bite.</p><p> </p><p>With that, Kiyomi gracefully strode away, Daisuke close on her heels, leaving Light alone under the cherry tree with a sticky, staring L.</p><p> </p><p>Light watched them go, feeling a strange relief. Sure, Kiyomi and Daisuke were his ‘friends,’ but what did they know of the real him? They knew and liked the facade, the smoke and mirrors show of Light Yagami that only reflected what he felt safe for others to see. Ryuga…<em>L</em>…had always looked through the mirror to the other side, despite Light’s best efforts to hide there. It made him feel naked and, sometimes, scared, but it also felt glorious to be <em>seen</em>. He could never admit that he needed that. How much he needed that.</p><p> </p><p>L wiped his fingers on the grass, but sakura blossoms kept sticking to them instead. He picked them off methodically, one by one. “I am surprised Yagami-kun did not go with them.”</p><p> </p><p>“I came out here to enjoy the sakura too.” Light blew a petal out of his bento, snorting quietly when it settled in L's hair.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t really come here for that.” L relaxed from his crouch and settled into a cross-legged position, a few more petals drifting down to settle in his hair. “That was a lie.” It was stated plainly, taken for fact that it had never been believed by the two of them and the lie had only been for the benefit of outsiders. </p><p> </p><p>“I assumed as much.” Light supposed everything else L had said had been a lie, too. About being friends…. He couldn’t help but feel deflated by that, infuriating as it was. “I assume everything you say is a lie.” He laughed more bitterly, could feel his heartbeat in his ears as rice grains crumbled from his chopsticks with the weight of care.</p><p> </p><p>“Not everything. For example, it’s true I will not be joining the tennis team.” L was watching Light so closely, even leaning towards him slightly. Such measured words, a parry, and now wait.</p><p> </p><p><em>That omission is a cut.</em> “Even if I joined?” Light gave him a weak smile, imagining them playing doubles together against another school, another team. On the same side for once.</p><p> </p><p>“If Yagami-kun joined, I would consider it, although it would be a distraction from the case.”</p><p> </p><p><em>The case, always the case.</em> “Don’t worry, I’m not joining.” Light ate the last bite of his lunch and packed it away, relaxing against the tree. Looking up through the flowery branches made it look like the sky itself was blushing, his new world’s second-hand embarrassment over this unfortunate attraction. He defied its judgment, saying dreamily, “And what does Ryuga do when he’s not working on ‘the case’? When he’s all alone?”</p><p> </p><p>L stared, head tilted and eyes too wide, until Light finally lowered his unreadable gaze. There were very few moments when L wasn’t working on a case and he was nearly always alone. Even when Watari was there or he was in the presence of his new police team, L felt alone. It was perverse but…being with Light felt different, like he was <em>with</em> someone. Light was probably Kira, but Light was also like him. A singularity pulling others into their orbit, reaching out to place people and change events rather than be placed and changed themselves. <em>Pulling me in, too. </em>That was what he’d come here to see, not the sakura, but Light’s awful, intriguing beauty.</p><p> </p><p>He finally said softly, “Why does Light-kun want to know that?” As soon as he voiced the question, he knew Light’s response, could feel its gravity coalescing in the scant lonely space between them.</p><p> </p><p>Light smiled and reached out to touch L's hair, gently brushing away the petals that had accumulated there. “We’re friends, Ryuga.” His fingertips barely ghosted L's cheek, but he pulled away as if it hadn’t been intentional. “Isn’t it normal to show an interest in one’s friends?”</p><p> </p><p>The words traveled the path a comet might, passing lips that would surely birth terrible and gorgeous creation. L felt warmth recede with the withdrawal of those celestial, unfair fingers and lied to himself that he didn’t want Light’s friendship. That his body didn’t beg for those fingers to return, that he wouldn’t think of them when he was alone. That it wasn’t the first impact to leave a crater.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Originally written for <a href="https://lawlightweek.tumblr.com/">Lawlight Week 2020</a> on tumblr.<br/>Follow me for Lawlight and Death Note shenanigans: <a href="https://kiranatrix.tumblr.com">kiranatrix</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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